Be like Water: Becoming Nature Again with the River Dôn Project and Jonny Douglas
Accidental Gods
Connecting with Nature Through Technology
This chapter explores how technology can enhance our connection to nature by discussing governance models that foster belonging and purpose. It delves into the River Dôn Project, highlighting the integration of sensors and data visualization to engage communities in monitoring river health.
Water is our lifeblood and Clean Water (along with Clean Air and Clean Soil) is one of our core Three Asks, the non-negotiable baselines that underpin a flourishing future for people and life on our planet. Getting there, means everyone beginning to care at a bone-deep level, way beneath our conscious minds and having a sense of how we might get there, supported by evidence of what works (or doesn't) so that we can create positive feedback loops of growing community between the human and Beyond-Human worlds.
Living this into being is one of the core pillars of the Great Transformation and one of the groups working towards it is the River Dôn Project in Sheffield, one of the many projects overseen by Opus Independents. One of the project leads is Jonny Douglas, and he's today's guest.
Jonny imagines a world where the vast majority of people have the means and opportunity to find and fulfil their true potential. He has worked as a designer, a trainer, educator and facilitator in human skills and creativity in universities, colleges, schools and businesses. At Opus he is a Co-Founder and Network Coordinator of the UBI Lab Network and Technology Lead for the River Dôn Project, among other roles across the portfolio. He believes our only path forward is one of mutually assured flourishing and that now is the time to build those alternative realities, together.
I met Jonny last July at the Social Enterprise Network Summer Conference in Sheffield and the conversation about the River Dôn Project was one of the single most inspiring, thought -provoking I have ever had. So, with great delight, here we are, exploring routes to Mutually Assured Flourishing. Enjoy!
Jonny at Opus https://www.weareopus.org/team/jonny-douglas
Jonny on all socials: Linked in | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Bluesky
River Dôn Project website | Engagement Platform
River Dôn Project - Bluesky | Linked in | Instagram | Mailing list | Donate
Mentions in the Show
James Lock of Opus #279 https://accidentalgods.life/now-then-building-networks-of-citizen-power-with-james-lock-of-opus-in-sheffield/
Debs Grayson from Opus #283 https://accidentalgods.life/red-pill-blue-pill-green-pill-true-pill-creating-a-trustworthy-media-commons-with-debs-grayson-of-opus-independents/
Hospicing Modernity with Vanessa De Oliveira Andreotti ~ Festival of Debate, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZgq3h6pPxU
#Brilliant Minds: BONUS podcast with Kate Raworth, Indy Johar & James Lock at the Festival of Debate
Opus https://www.weareopus.org/
Festival of Debatehttps://festivalofdebate.com/
PechaKucha Sheffield
https://www.pechakucha.com/communities/sheffield
Sheffield Soup
https://sheffieldsoup.wordpress.com/what-is-soup/
Food Works
Sofar Sounds
https://www.sofarsounds.com/cities/sheffield
Dôn Catchment Rivers Trust
For a deeper dive, other links are available on a Google Doc here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/172pnHQdb14dgQmphixCoFgea5j_kapzpSOeIlgZUko8/
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